Test and Itchen River Restoration Strategy Projects Completed in 2017
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Test and Itchen River Restoration Strategy Projects completed in 2017. The Test and Itchen River Restoration Strategy was involved in four collaborative river restorations in 2017. While not that many, two of these where the largest and consequently the most expensive collaborative projects completed since the inception of the Strategy in 2012. At Bossington Estate, one of the largest impounding structures on the Test was removed and at Southington in Overton one of the oldest impounding structures was removed. In both cases once the structures were removed the river was extensively restored through removing silt, narrowing, bed raising and re-instating meanders. Both of these technically challenging projects have transformed what were silty canal-like stretches of river back to free flowing, resilient sections of Chalkstream. This will enable the plants and animals usually associated with a Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) Chalkstream to thrive once again; in the case of Overton for the first time in centuries. It will also make these stretches of river passable for all fish species whether travelling up or downstream. It is a credit to both the owners of these structures to enable this to happen and have the vision to see that this will improve and benefit the river well into the future. Credit is also due to the two sets of contractors for undertaking these technically challenging projects and completing them successfully: Cain Bio-engineering at Bossington and Robert Bull at Overton. The other two, no less important restorations, took place at Wherwell Estate and on the Timsbury carrier both on the River Test for which the details will follow. In total, the above collaborative restoration projects for 2017 restored just over 2km of the River Test, removed two major impounding structures, increased flood storage at one site, reduced flood risk at another, introduced 6000t of gravel, established a small lake for fishing and created one 100m long purpose-built salmonid spawning channel. Fish have already spawned in areas not possible before, and trout and grayling were seen freely swimming up and downstream at Southington for the first time in what could be centuries. Just to add some extra interest, an archaeological dig also took place in parallel with the restoration project at Southington. This was a great project as the local community were involved throughout. The Overton Biodiversity Society carried out the pre-works water vole surveys and the Overton Archaeological Society worked alongside county archaeologist in uncovering the history of the site. This was all rounded off with an enjoyable evening of presentations on the restoration works, the history of the site and looking at the numerous historic objects found. 1 www.gov.uk/environment-agency Bossington Estate structure removal, River Test – T102/T103 – Restore – SU 33875 30768 30768 New small angling lake created after gravel extraction. Restored area New salmonid spawning channel created Location and image of the large impounding structure at Bossington Estate The above map shows the extent of the major restoration at Bossington Estate carried out by Cain Bioengineering. The darker area shows the length of river that was in poor condition due to the impounding effects of the two large structures. The largest of which is shown above. Many of these historic structures are now redundant and while the impounded and slow flowing nature of the channel may provide ideal conditions for anglers to catch large stocked trout, it is at the same time stifling the river of its true potential. www.gov.uk/environment -agency 2 Removing old structures that has been a landmark for many is a difficult decision to make for those involved but the benefits of this forward thinking decision will be seen well into the future. Impounded river upstream of the structures at Bossington The above photo shows the impounding effect upstream of the structures when they were still in place. While this may be an extreme example of an impounded section of the River Test it is representative of the negative effect impoundments have. A large portion of the Test and Itchen River Restoration Strategy is to encourage river keepers and fishery managers to promote the benefits of river restoration to anglers as some may like the above image and it’s ability to hold large stocked fish. Stocked fish can still be caught in restored sections but importantly wild fish can also flourish in the newly created habitats. Numerous surveys have also proved that increased velocities also provide the correct conditions for increased numbers of Chalkstream invertebrates and promote the growth of macrophytes (weeds) such as Ranunculus. While river restoration is improving the SSSI status of the river it can at the same time provide anglers with a more natural fishing experience and a wider variety of challenges in a setting more appropriate and characteristic of a world famous Chalkstream. The removal of an impounding structure can also potentially reduce flooding to nearby at risk properties. 3 www.gov.uk/environment -agency Structures removed and river restored This is the same stretch of river once the structures had been removed. On removal the level dropped by nearly one metre, see arrow. The channel was then narrowed and sinuosity created by bank re-profiling and the introduction of woody material. The bed was then raised using locally-won gravel. The ‘new’ gravel bed was deliberately contoured to provide high velocity points for wild fish and deeper slower areas for stocked fish. Once finished the excavation hole for the gravel was re-profiled and will be used as a small beginners fishing lake. The silt that had accumulated upstream of the structures was also used in the narrowing process and also spread along the banks. This image was taken soon after the completion of the works in the autumn of 2017 and in-channel and bankside vegetation has yet to establish. Based on previous restoration projects this process will be quick now that the key ingredients of light and increased velocities are now present. Along with the already present seed base the margins will also be planted up with appropriate plants. In-channel weed growth can expect to change dramatically from ribbon weed to a wide variety of Chalkstream macrophyte species. Small shoots of Ranunculus were already growing only weeks after completion. In time this will provide excellent habitat for invertebrates and juvenile and adult fish species, though whether the river keeper will appreciate the extra work during the weed cut periods is yet to be seen! www.gov.uk/environment -agency 4 New spawning channel Location of old structures Photo showing location of the old structures, the new spawning channel and the restored section downstream. A total of 800m of channel was restored at Bossington Estate. Reducing the water level by removing the structures also allowed the banks to be lowered. In many places these had historically been built up with dredged material from the river, creating a ridge along the bank top. Removing this ridge and re-profiling the banks to a more natural gradient has reconnected the river with the flood plain and created an additional area of flood storage. There were some unfortunate issues with the immediate downstream owners regarding coloured water during this project and this is obviously regrettable, but in the long run what has been achieved here is a substantial improvement for the benefit of the River Test. As if to give a seal of approval to the whole project, salmon were seen spawning on the newly introduced gravel upstream of the old structure only weeks after the project had finished. This was taken as a sign by all involved that what had been achieved was a huge success for the environment and will in time hopefully inspire others to follow suit. www.gov.uk/environment -agency 5 Southington House, Overton, River Test – T008/T009 – Rehabilitate – SU 50953 49769 Restored area Coffer dam Crescent rock ramps Location and image of historic impounding structure. Siltation upstream of structure. The above map shows the extent of the 400m long restoration, the location of the Silk Mill, and the historical impounding structure at Southington House. The shaded area shows the extent of the in-channel siltation. The collaborative river restoration at Southington House was one of the most challenging and interesting of all the restorations undertaken by the Strategy so far. Not only was it technically challenging but historic records showed that there had been a structure at this site since the 15th century and a working Silk Mill straddled the river here from 1769 to 1848. Consequently this valuable historical heritage had to be taken into account. www.gov.uk/environment -agency 6 Before any works could start the site had to be cleared of a large number of sycamore trees to create access and light. A coffer dam was then installed at the first bend, see map. Prior to draining the works area, a small number of trout and eels were caught and relocated downstream of the works area. The river was then diverted through a series of pipes and pumped to downstream of the works area so that work could take place in a dry river bed. This also allowed the archaeologists the opportunity to search the river bed prior to the start of the works. Archaeologist working in the drained A small selection of the archaeological finds. pool downstream of the structure. Throughout the project it was important that the finished restoration recognised the historical value of the site and tried to retain evidence of its industrial past. 7000 original bricks from the upstream wing walls and downstream pool were cleaned and used again once the structure had been removed.